Are you burned out from wondering where the money will come from to pay your car insurance bill each month? You have the same problem as most other vehicle owners in Louisiana. Big companies like Allstate, Liberty Mutual and State Farm promote their brand names with fancy advertisements and consumers find it hard to sift through the bull and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
You need to shop coverage around as often as possible due to the fact that insurance prices fluctuate regularly. Even if you got the lowest rates on your last policy you can probably find a lower rate today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in the best way to lower your annual insurance bill.
Lowering your car insurance rates can be relatively painless. You just need to spend a little time to compare rate quotes online from several insurance companies. Rate comparisons can be done by following the guidelines below.
- Hands down the most simple method to get quotes is a comparison rater form click here to open form in new window. This method saves time by eliminating separate quote forms for every prospective company. One quote request will get you rate comparisons from car insurance companies with the best prices.
- A less efficient way to find lower rates is spending the time to visit the website for each individual company and fill out their own quote form. For sake of this example, let’s say you need rates from Progressive, Esurance and American Family. To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site and type in your information over and over, which is why first method is reommended. To view a list of companies in Leesville, click here.
The approach you take is up to you, just do your best to enter equivalent coverages with each company. If you have differing limits it’s not possible to make a fair comparison in Leesville.
Discounts to earn lower Leesville car insurance rates
Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but you might be missing out on some discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Some of these disounts will be visible at the time of quoting, but some must be inquired about before you will receive the discount.
- Service Members Pay Less – Having a deployed family member may lower your prices slightly.
- Paperless Signup – A handful of insurance companies will provide an incentive over the internet.
- Air Bags and Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts could see savings of more than 20%.
- Claim Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories are rewarded with significantly better rates on compared to policyholders that have many claims.
- Renewal Discounts – A few car insurance companies offer discounts for renewing your policy before your current expiration date. The savings is around 10%.
- Good Student – Getting good grades can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts up to age 25.
As a disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. Even though it appears having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it doesn’t quite work that way.
To locate insurance companies that offer many of these discounts in Louisiana, click this link.
Tailor your car insurance coverage to you
When choosing coverage, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s needs are different so your insurance needs to address that. For instance, these questions could help you determine if your situation might need an agent’s assistance.
- What happens if I owe more than my vehicle is worth?
- Am I covered by my spouse’s policy after a separation?
- Am I covered when driving on a suspended license?
- What are Louisiana no-fault laws?
- Should I buy additional glass protection?
- Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, complete this form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can help protect your family.
How to lower your car insurance costs
The best way to find cheaper car insurance is to take a look at the rating factors that come into play when calculating your policy premiums. If you have a feel for what impacts premium levels, this enables informed choices that may reward you with lower rates.
The following are some of the most rate-impacting factors car insurance companies consider when setting your prices.
- Gender and car insurance premiums – Over the last 30 years, statistics show that females take fewer risks when driving. The data does not necessarily mean that women are better drivers. Both sexes tend to get into accidents at a similar rate, but the men cause more damage. They also get cited for more serious violations like driving under the influence (DUI). Male teenagers have the highest risk to insure and therefore pay the highest rates.
- Performance impacts insurance prices – The make and model of the vehicle you are insuring makes a big difference in your auto insurance rates. Small economy passenger cars receive the most favorable rates, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
- Annual mileage impacts prices – The more you drive your car each year the more you’ll pay to insure it. The majority of insurers charge rates based on how the vehicle is used. Cars and trucks used primarily for pleasure use get more affordable rates than those used for commuting. It’s a good idea to make sure your policy is showing the right rating data.
- Stressful job may mean higher prices – Did you know that where you work can have an impact on rates? Occupational choices like lawyers, business owners and financial analysts are shown to have higher average rates attributed to intense work-related stress and extremely grueling work hours. Other careers such as farmers, students and performers generally pay rates lower than average.
Tricks in car insurance advertising
Louisiana drivers constantly see and hear ads that promise big savings by State Farm and Allstate. They all seem to tend to make the same promise of big savings just by switching your car insurance policy to them.
How does each company charge you a lower premium?
Insurance providers have specific characteristics for the type of customer that will generate a profit. For example, a profitable risk profile might have to be over the age of 45, has no prior claims, and the vehicle is rated for pleasure use. Anybody who fits those characteristics may get the lowest premium rates in Leesville and therefore will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Consumers who don’t qualify for these stringent criteria may receive higher rates and the customer not purchasing. If you pay close attention to the ads, they say “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” can save as much as they claim. That’s the way companies can truthfully make it sound like they have such great premium rates.
This really emphasizes why you really need to get as many as possible. It is just not possible to predict which car insurance company will have the best auto insurance rates for your profile.
A tidy conclusion
When shopping online for car insurance, make sure you don’t skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many instances, an insured dropped physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time they didn’t purchase enough coverage. The goal is to buy enough coverage at the best cost, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
More affordable car insurance is definitely available both online and from local insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies do not offer price quotes online and many times these regional insurance providers only sell coverage through independent insurance agencies.
Additional car insurance information can be found on the through this link. Louisiana drivers can find a variety of consumer forms, learn about specific coverages, find out which companies have the most complaints, and report car insurance fraud.